Yes, it is technically possible to build such a device. But aside of the logistic nightmare, it's trivial to detect long before reaching operational status, it's trivial to destroy (compared to the time and effort necessary to build it), it is something that maybe five nations of this globe are capable of pulling off and none of them could afford to pretty much piss off the rest of the world for such a stunt.
It's something straight out of a James Bond (or rather, Austin Power) villain play book. Yes, it's doable, but SO over the top that there are cheaper, easier, more accessible and way, way less noticeable ways to accomplish anything that could.
In other words, sorry, but that's not even going to be acceptable as a "saving face" answer. It was a stupid thing to say, that's basically all there is to be said.
I know two transgender people, and neither of them feels that Wu represents them.
Why should I feel represented by someone just because they happen to have something in common with me? Does a paraplegic need someone in a wheelchair just to feel "properly" represented? What I want is a representative that knows and understands my problems and that I believe to handle them sensibly.
Assuming you're white, did you not feel represented by your President the past 8 years?
Republicans are more interested in their candidates being religious than being literate, Democrats are more interested in their candidates being for "social stuff" than being literate.
I know that she does care about social themes. I don't agree with them, but that doesn't make them invalid or wrong. I am also not expert on social issues that I could judge whether her claims are valid. I can only say that I see things differently, not more.
Physics, on the other hand, ARE right or wrong. And there I can say with some credibility that this is bullshit without even having to worry that I might be wrong.
That's basically what you get when the quality of the junk you produce is LOWER than what amateurs on YouTube crank out.
What do you get on TV today? Pseudo-reality soaps that are way more pseudo than reality, about forgettable idiots that can't even act, let alone be interesting. Reports and even more soaps about the life of wannabe-celebrities nobody with more than a brain cell could give a shit about. Now mix into that some other kinda-reality shows, from court TV to high speed chase TV and you know what's on 90 of said channels. The other 10 "high quality" TV networks bring you sitcoms with jokes that were funny 20 years ago, assembly line series with lackluster production values that networks don't give half a shit about if they mix up shows so they don't make sense in the sequence they're shown (with some reruns mixed in for good measure), and as the prime time feature you get the 100th rerun of some old movie you don't care about anymore since the late 90s.
And all that interrupted by commercials every other minute that it feels more like the constant stream of commercials is occasionally interrupted by programming.
And you're wondering why people throw their tube out and instead reach for alternative sources of entertainment? Are you serious?
Guess what, they exist. I know, an outlandish concept, but you might want to take a look at that newfangled thing called a "computer monitor". It's, like, kinda a TV, just without all the baggage.
94% of all programs won't run properly without those rights.
Unfortunately for the longest time developers for Windows got away with not giving half a shit about security. To make matters worse, when MS finally decided to tighten the screws, they went overboard by a long shot. You cannot even install a simple program without elevated rights.
And to make matters worse, "elevated" means "full access, anywhere". There is no granularity, it's only "can't do jack shit" or "total control". You cannot open up the program files to install a normal program without also giving that program the ability to drop a low level driver into your system.
Then again, if that worked, a lot of people would probably notice just WHAT kind of crap their beloved games barf into the deeper intestines of their computers for the sake of the all holy DRM.
Patents are really not the best argument for the case. Because the patent law (at least in its original idea) was not to enable the protection of innovation but to make innovators publish their findings. Before patent laws came along, the main way to protect your innovation was to keep it secret. Of course this meant that a lot of things had to be reinvented over and over because whoever invented something took the invention with him when he died. The idea was that if you publish it for everyone to see, you get protection for a time to use it exclusively. That also meant that people could take your innovation and invent something based on it. The whole "standing on the shoulders of giants" things.
The idea was good. Until it was perverted to protect non-innovations, ideas that have no innovative value but are only used to corner a market. From rounded edges to one-click-buy, things that should not be patentable in the first place.
So patents were less a means to protect the innovator and more one to keep innovations from being lost with the innovator.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, but no.
Yes, it is technically possible to build such a device. But aside of the logistic nightmare, it's trivial to detect long before reaching operational status, it's trivial to destroy (compared to the time and effort necessary to build it), it is something that maybe five nations of this globe are capable of pulling off and none of them could afford to pretty much piss off the rest of the world for such a stunt.
It's something straight out of a James Bond (or rather, Austin Power) villain play book. Yes, it's doable, but SO over the top that there are cheaper, easier, more accessible and way, way less noticeable ways to accomplish anything that could.
In other words, sorry, but that's not even going to be acceptable as a "saving face" answer. It was a stupid thing to say, that's basically all there is to be said.
I know two transgender people, and neither of them feels that Wu represents them.
Why should I feel represented by someone just because they happen to have something in common with me? Does a paraplegic need someone in a wheelchair just to feel "properly" represented? What I want is a representative that knows and understands my problems and that I believe to handle them sensibly.
Assuming you're white, did you not feel represented by your President the past 8 years?
Republicans are more interested in their candidates being religious than being literate, Democrats are more interested in their candidates being for "social stuff" than being literate.
We're doomed.
Equality will not come by enforced inequality. If anything, it breeds contempt and hands fuel to those that wish to oppose it.
I know that she does care about social themes. I don't agree with them, but that doesn't make them invalid or wrong. I am also not expert on social issues that I could judge whether her claims are valid. I can only say that I see things differently, not more.
Physics, on the other hand, ARE right or wrong. And there I can say with some credibility that this is bullshit without even having to worry that I might be wrong.
No, that is outsourced to the private sector where people can do something called "comment" and "reply".
And since real life ain't YouTube and Twitter, you cannot disable it.
But you can't be assed to show us that shocking content so we get to enjoy wading through the EULA legalese.
Yay, I can have a phone that can't get reception domestic AND abroad!
1. Abuse
2. ???
3. Profit
You know what else happened a lot in the good ol' days? Rappers killing each other.
It's better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're an idiot than to open your mouth and remove any doubt that might remain.
Maybe she should concentrate on social issues. Physics ain't her strong side.
Hmm... IgNobel Prize for Physics?
And they get what she gets for doing it: Being told she's an idiot.
That's the beauty of /. When someone is a moron you have a very easy way to immediately tell him or her.
That's basically what you get when the quality of the junk you produce is LOWER than what amateurs on YouTube crank out.
What do you get on TV today? Pseudo-reality soaps that are way more pseudo than reality, about forgettable idiots that can't even act, let alone be interesting. Reports and even more soaps about the life of wannabe-celebrities nobody with more than a brain cell could give a shit about. Now mix into that some other kinda-reality shows, from court TV to high speed chase TV and you know what's on 90 of said channels. The other 10 "high quality" TV networks bring you sitcoms with jokes that were funny 20 years ago, assembly line series with lackluster production values that networks don't give half a shit about if they mix up shows so they don't make sense in the sequence they're shown (with some reruns mixed in for good measure), and as the prime time feature you get the 100th rerun of some old movie you don't care about anymore since the late 90s.
And all that interrupted by commercials every other minute that it feels more like the constant stream of commercials is occasionally interrupted by programming.
And you're wondering why people throw their tube out and instead reach for alternative sources of entertainment? Are you serious?
The painful thing is that the crap on TV isn't by any means superior to the crap you find on YouTube.
And I'm not even talking about the various TV programs that are, legal or not, available on YouTube.
It's a LCD panel. But no TV.
Guess what, they exist. I know, an outlandish concept, but you might want to take a look at that newfangled thing called a "computer monitor". It's, like, kinda a TV, just without all the baggage.
Most of all, it created domestic jobs instead of jobs abroad. You can't tell some Chinese to travel over here to repair your TV.
With the difference that you can VPN around that bullshit, try that with a cinema.
94% of all programs won't run properly without those rights.
Unfortunately for the longest time developers for Windows got away with not giving half a shit about security. To make matters worse, when MS finally decided to tighten the screws, they went overboard by a long shot. You cannot even install a simple program without elevated rights.
And to make matters worse, "elevated" means "full access, anywhere". There is no granularity, it's only "can't do jack shit" or "total control". You cannot open up the program files to install a normal program without also giving that program the ability to drop a low level driver into your system.
Then again, if that worked, a lot of people would probably notice just WHAT kind of crap their beloved games barf into the deeper intestines of their computers for the sake of the all holy DRM.
Patents are really not the best argument for the case. Because the patent law (at least in its original idea) was not to enable the protection of innovation but to make innovators publish their findings. Before patent laws came along, the main way to protect your innovation was to keep it secret. Of course this meant that a lot of things had to be reinvented over and over because whoever invented something took the invention with him when he died. The idea was that if you publish it for everyone to see, you get protection for a time to use it exclusively. That also meant that people could take your innovation and invent something based on it. The whole "standing on the shoulders of giants" things.
The idea was good. Until it was perverted to protect non-innovations, ideas that have no innovative value but are only used to corner a market. From rounded edges to one-click-buy, things that should not be patentable in the first place.
So patents were less a means to protect the innovator and more one to keep innovations from being lost with the innovator.
Back from the days when Sony was actually a reputable company, innovative and consumer oriented.
Yes, kids, back when we were young, they actually were. Almost impossible to fathom today.
Then I guess their business model is wrong.
A business model that needs laws to prop it up is broken.
The problem they have with it is that people would repair the fault that their console only does what its manufacturer wants.
First of all, why the fuck should I give a fuck about your country's laws?
Second, your country blocks my download page? Welcome to VPN.
Third, your law enforcement tries to ferret out the use? It's trivial to disguise traffic like something benign.
That's why our judges get some leeway when it comes to interpreting laws. Else you get people who search for loopholes and get away with it.